“Wedding bells rang for the first time for same-sex couples in New Jersey just after midnight on Monday when the state became the 14th in the nation to legalize gay marriage.” [Reuters]

“New drugs could extend cancer patients’ lives—by days. At a cost of thousands and thousands of dollars. Prompting some doctors to refuse to use them.” [New York]

“The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee raised $8.4 million in September, according to an aide with the group, a significant sum more than a year before next year’s election. The haul dwarfs the $5.3 million collected last month by the National Republican Congressional Committee, which was again out-raised by House Democrats despite holding the majority.” [National Journal]

“Just more than half the public says that it’s bad for the country that the GOP controls the House of Representatives, according to a new national poll conducted after the end of the partial government shutdown. And the CNN/ORC International survey also indicates that more than six in 10 Americans say that Speaker of the House John Boehner should be replaced.” [CNN]

OT, but I did something really cruel at work this evening. The guy I'm working with is a joker. He got the best of me yesterday (it was pretty funny). This evening I was in the bathroom taking a leak and he walked in, quickly aimed the cell phone and took a picture. I told him to delete it. He kept moving away and messing with the cell phone. He said he was going to send the photo to his wife. He had his thumb on the send button. I started to move away and then reached over real fast and pressed his thumb down on the send button. I told him to let me know how it turned out and then waklked away laughing. He yelled that he was only messing with me and was going to delete it. His cell phone rang a couple of minutes later and he went outside to answer it. he walked back in a couple of minutes later, said "Jerk" and went into the other room.

Ted Cruz got a standing ovation when he spoke to the Texas Medical Association this Sat.

The TMA has published a long list of changes it wants to see in the law, including eliminating the Medicare Independent Payment Advisory Board, repealing provisions that limit physician ownership of hospitals, and adding limits on noneconomic damages in medical malpractice suits.

Texas doctors own hospitals in South Texas where they make a bundle off the government. This is one disgusting state.

When are we all going to learn that engaging Colli in a debate is an exercise in futility? He doesn't back up any of his claims, he refuses to listen to reason, he parrots right-wing talking points and buzz words, he casually and gracelessly just throws out childish pejoratives like "third grade" and "ignoramus", and he sums everything up with platitudes like the following (addressed to no one in particular I'll note):

Proving once again that with liberals it's always someone else's fault.

Seriously. Enough. A troll is a troll is a troll. If you're looking for a rational debate you're just as well off seeking one from Paule.

"McConnell’s advocacy for a sort of Republican realpolitik is, quite
clearly, the right approach for his party in Congress. The shutdown
was, by any measure, a political disaster for Republicans and one that
they simply cannot afford to repeat again. (We mean that literally. If
Republicans forced another government shutdown over President Obama’s
health-care law, it would almost certainly negate their chances of
winning the Senate back in 2014 and might also jeopardize their chances
of holding the House next November.) At some point, principle must give
way to practicality, and now is that time for Republicans."

Hey, I think I found a new LiveFyre "feature". It let me like that picture of the little kid with the pro union message twice. I liked it earlier, but when I went back, the "like" link was active, and it showed me already liking it, so I liked it again.

"The business community thought the supply-siders were nuts, and the country club Republicans thought the social conservatives scary. That all worked out O.K.”

Yes, it worked out ! The nuts were beginning to take over the party and now they are reaping their hard work. George H.W. Bush was kicked out of a second term because of taxes to pay the bills, his son who believed in 'voodoo' economics' was put in, and the platform was no longer ignored on the social issues as the Party of God took over;

And We Got Barack Obama as president. George Will is another commentator who needs to retire. This squabble is not something that's going away as Cruz continues his pilgrimage.

The right-leaning Richmond Times-Dispatch decided to endorse no candidate in the Virginia gubernatorial race, a little more than two weeks before Election Day.

"The major-party candidates have earned the citizenry's derision," the editorial board wrote. "The third-party alternative has run a more exemplary race yet does not qualify as a suitable option. We cannot in good conscience endorse a candidate for governor."

@DonQuixotic Thank you, DonQ, for pointing out the Dining Room Table that so many in Swampland fail to recognize as a Dining Room Table. Swampcritters: if you would like to have an engaging conversation with a RW Troll, please step away from your computer, walk into the next room, and talk to your Dining Room Table. Former Rep Barney Frank demonstrates and describes how to do it:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYlZiWK2Iy8

He's incredibly hostile towards Mantis but I've never felt he didn't respect me. He disagrees and regularly sticks to his guns, but he tends towards assuming I'm misinformed or misguided than stupid while Mantis he gleefully insults at every opportunity.

Whatever, he's been trying to destroy legislation for years now, which is no different from what they did in 3 weeks. The consequence is the same just in the lime light. He's what's wrong with the the dysfunctional GOP.

@jmac What Kristol is pointing to is the inevitable result of what Reagan started, both with his "trickle down" economics and his launching of the GOP's social crusade. Each group – from Reagan and his bunch to the religious right and now to the Tea Party – has gotten increasingly more radical and increasingly more dangerous.

If Kristol thinks the GOP is going to survive letting the Tea Party take over, he's even more stupid than I thought.

@fitty_three "In the U.S. House of Representative the majority leader is elected by U.S. Congressmen in the political party holding the largest number of seats in the House."

I thought the minority party could vote for Speaker, but apparently not. So it seems The House could actually elect a Tea Party Speaker of the HOuse should they so decide. That would really mean the end of the Republican party.

I don't assume you're misinformed. When I tell you that you're misinformed, you don't have the facts straight. For example, the legislation that came to be known as Stimulus II never got off the ground.

@forgottenlord@DonQuixotic That would be because I first ran across him on a Klein thread, where he was claiming that GWB did a great job in foreign policy and proceeded to educate him on the reality of how the world perceived us under GWB. Unfortunately like a case of crabs he has followed me here, but never forgave or forgot the reality check I gave him.

@MrObvious@retiredvet I just watched him on Fox say that Obama shut down the government and that we can't let that happen again. He admitted that shutting the government was a mistake, but took no blame for it. There's a quote by Rand Paul where he says that sometimes you have to use misinformation. Well, they certainly have that down to a science.

@forgottenlord@jmac He was implying that there was fighting over these issues during the Reagan years and it worked out okay for Reagan and the party - so this little squabble between today's Wall Street crowd and the Tea Party will be just fine. No worries!

@Sue_N@jmac Andrew Sullivan (former Republican) just put up an article on the notion that all of a sudden Boehner and McConnell are now considered 'moderates'. He points out that they put up with the insanity until the last possible moment of the shutdown and that they both are a part of the 'crazy'. The Post should hire Andrew and let Will go.

Nonono, you're not hearing me. Republicans put up Boehner's name, Democrats put up Pelosi's name, then all the House votes and while the vast majority of Republicans voted for Boehner as they were supposed to, a handful did not

Not necessarily. Both sides put up one name. If the House decides to put up Cantor and, of course, we put up Pelosi, then they vote. Would some Republicans not vote for Cantor knowing Pelosi would then be Speaker? Maybe, but not likely.

That's just to confirm who they'll all vote for. So the Republicans pick Boehner, the Democrats pick Pelosi, then the full House meets and all Republicans vote for Boehner and all Democrats vote for Pelosi. It was actually a big deal this time because as many as 20 Republicans were considering voting for a third person for Speaker as a rebellion against Boehner and I think 5 of them went ahead with it. The Tea Party thought they actually had the count to stop Boehner from becoming Speaker - which made more than a few people scratch their head because it would've meant Pelosi became Speaker.

@forgottenlord@jmac That's what I thought but it said each chamber votes in their own chamber for speaker. The majority for Majority Speaker and the Minority for minority speaker. Maybe I read it wrong - don't know.